munson



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. MUNSON.

(Model.)

FOLDING BBD.

Patented Feb. 16, 1886.

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(Model.)

F. MUNSON. FOLDING BBD.

Patentedfeb. 16, 1886.

W- Z m M w M m @d \\\\mm\\ m ll. l IIINH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MUNSON, OF BUCHANAN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUCHANAN rMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,525, dated February16, 1886.

Application filed April 15, 1885. Serial No. 162.307. (Model.) 4

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatLFRANK MUNsoN, ofBuchanan, in the county of Berren andState of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in FoldingBeds; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

vthe whole bed 5 second, in rendering the operation of folding andunfolding more automatic by the peculiar arrangement of strongcoilsprings; third, in arranging the parts so that a spring bed-bottomof ordinary construction and secured in the ordinary manner may be used,dispensing with all special tension devices for the mattress; fourth, inthe peculiar arrangement of certain parts, whereby greater stability ofthe head and foot boards in folding and unfolding is secured; fifth, inthe improved construction of the rail-joint; sixth, in the improvedmanner of hinging the cover; and, seventh, in the peculiar constructionof the head and foot boards.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a vertical central section through my improved bed asfolded. Fig. 2 is a similar section with the bed unfolded.

A is the head-board, B is the foot-board, C are the railsections, and Dis the hinged cover, of a folding bed, the rails of which are arrangedto fold upwardly in the center, al-

lowing the head and foot boards to approach each other and form, whenthe rails are completely folded and the hinged cover dropped in place, acompact case having the outward appearance of a desk.

The construction and arrangement of the different parts to which myinvention refers are as follows:

G are cross-rails secured between the ends of the side rails, and E is aspring bed-bottom consisting of a series of helical or coil springsconnected together on top by wire loops, and secured on the bottom upona series of cross-slats, F. The ends of this bed-bottom 5 5 are securedto the cross-rails G, and the sides may be secured, except near themiddle, to the side rails. The slats upon which the springs rest aresecured to the side rails,fand are flush with them on the under side.The 6c outer ends of the rail-sections are pivotally secured at a to thehead and foot board, respectively, and their inner ends are pivotallysecured at b b to a saddle, H, which serves as an intermediateconnecting-rail and protects the joint between the rail-sections on thesides and on top.

I is a circular piece firmly secured to the saddle midway between thepivotal points b b of the rails. It is cut away on top, so as to 7o forma flat shoulder, c. The inner ends of the rail-sections terminate insquare shoulders `J ogee shaped shoulders K, and intermediate shoulders,L. The shoulders J squarely abut against each other when the bed isextended, while the shoulders L at the same time seat themselves againstthe top of the circular piece I. The ogee-shaped shoulders K are partlyseated against the circular piece I when the bed is extended, and whenit is folded they 8o keep contact with it and guide and support it,relieving thereby the pivot-pins b from strain. l

The shoulders J form a large portion of the ends of the rail-sections,and they therefore form, when tightly pressed against each other, as isdone by the action of the coil-springs, hereinafter described, a strongrail-joint when the bed is extended, and which opens easily in an upwarddirection, owing to the little 9c friction with which the shoulders Ktravel on the rounded piece I. This arrangement of joint firmly guidesthe parts by frictional contact in folding and unfolding withoutweakening the rail ends.

The outer ends of the rail -sections are rounded, forming a segment of acircle with the center in the pivot a, and curved tracks M of the sameradius are formed on the head and foot boards, respectively, for theserounded 10o ends to abut against in folding and unfolding. These tracksM terminate on top in overhanging shoulders or stops N, which, inconnection with shoulders h on the ends of lthe rails,

limit the movement of the rail in unfolding,

so that it cannot drop further in the middle than is desired.

O are strong coil springs, placed near the head and foot boards,respectively, .and arranged lengthwise of the bed. They are secured inposition by means of a strap-iron, P, which is screwed to the cross-railand termihates in'an eye, d, through which the tensionrod Q passes. Thelatter terminates on one end in a hook, c, to which one end of the cableR is secured, while the opposite end carries a roller, S. It is alsoprovided with a collar or ange, f. The coil-spring O is interposedbetween the eye d and the flangef, and the cable R connects thetension'rods of the two coilsprings. v

T are curved tracks, eccentrically to the pivots a, and adapted for therollers S to travel on. These parts ars so arranged that when the bed isextended the coil-springs are under strong tension, occasioned by thelimited length of the cable R, which operates to firmly draw therail-sections together endwise, making the rail-joint rigid under theaction of the weight of the bedclothes, rails, and bed-bottom. As soonas the operation of folding the bed begins, however, the parts approacheach other, and the cable R (which is free to drop a little) graduallyrelieves the tension of the coil-springs, leaving them, however, underenough tension to counterbalance theweight ofthe parts which have to belifted pWhile the operator lifts the rails in the center in the firstoperation of folding the bed the rollers S travel on the tracks T,without, however, deriving any more tension therefrom than is due to thecable, the object being merely to thereby steady the foot and headboards and prevent them from iipping, which in the present constructionof these folding beds is very liable to occur during the operation offolding. As soon as the side rails are folded up sunlciently, theoperation of folding the bed is completed by pushing the footboardagainst the head-board, and during this stage of the operation the cableR becomes slack, as the tracks T, instead of accommodating themselvesany further to the expanding springs, begin to compress them by pushingthe tension-rods Q inwardly.

One object of getting the cable slack is to Y prevent the coil-springsfrom opposing their tension to the closing together of the parts.Another object is to allow of the bed being divided in sections, in themanner hereinafter described.

I preferably use but one pair of coil-springs, O, which I arrange in thelongitudinal center ofthe bed; but, if desired, more springs may @beused.

In other folding beds of this kind the bedbottom lis made use of as acounter-balance by putting it under a strong tension by theelloow-leverage of the side rails in unfolding. In my invention, therebeing no such arrange` ment required, I am enabled to use a springbed-bottom of ordinary construction instead of a wire mattress, or aspring bed-bottom of such special construction which will admit of beingput under tension, and which. requires special devices designed to relaxthe tension of the mattress or spring bed-bottom when Y folded.

In order to adapt the bed to be taken into sections, I provide thepivots b of the lower rail-sections with slots Z, and make the centerrow of loops, 7c, of the springbottom so as to unhook at one end.

If it is desired to divide the bed into sections, fold it and thenunhook thc center row of loops, k, so as to separate in two thespringbottom. This divides the bed in two, except the cable, which canbe nnhooked from either one of the eyes e.

The cover is so constructed as to swing clear up or down. This Iaccomplish by providing the head-board with corner-posts, to the innersides of which I secure the stationary part of a suitable hinge, W,which throws the cover sufficiently forward to giveit,when thrown up, areclining position. The space between the hinged end of the cover andthe head-board is suitably closed by a ledge projecting from thehead-board.' This arrangement of cover allows it to be thrown open forVentilating the bed. I i

What I claim as my invention isl. In a folding bed, as described, therailsections having slots at their central meetingpoints, combined witha connecting-piecehaving pivots engaging said'slots, substantially as,

and for the purpose specified.

2. In a folding bed, substantially as described, the rail-sectionshaving the slots Z at their central meeting ends, combined with thesaddle having pivots fitting in said slots, as set forth.

3. In a folding bed of the kind described, the coil-springs O, securedupon opposite ends of the folding-bed bottom, and connected by a tensioncord or cable, substantially as de scribed.

4. In a folding bed of the kind described, the coil-springs O, securedupon opposite ends of the folding-bed bottom, and each provided withtension-rods Q, terminating in eyes e, and a connecting tension cord orcable, R, detachably secured thereto, substantially as described.

5. The coil-springs O, secured upon opposite ends of the folding-bedbottom and provided with tension-rods Q, connected by a rope or cable,having rollers S secured to their outer ends, in combination with thetracks T, all arranged to steady the head and foot boards in folding,substantially as described.

6. The coilspring O, secured upon opposite ends of the folding-bedbottom and provided IIO with tensionrods Q, connected by a rope orcable, and having rollers S, secured to their outer ends, in combinationWith the tracks T, so arranged as to compress the springs at the closeof the folding, substantially as described.

7. In a folding bed, as described, the combination, with therailsections having open ended slots, of an intermediate connectingrailengaging said slots and detachably connecting the sections together andprotecting the joint between the same, substantially as described.

8. The folding rail sections 0 provided with elongated slots at theircentral meetingpoints and terminating at their inner ends in ogee-shapedshoulders K, in combination with the saddles H, pivotally secured in theslots in the inner ends of the rail-sections and provided With therounding piece I, arranged between the shoulders K, all arranged toguide 2o the parts in folding by frictional contact, substantially asdescribed.

9. The folding railsections C, provided with the slots Z, as described,and terminating at their inner ends in shoulders J L, and K, 25

shoulders c formed on it, substantially as de- 3o scribed.

FRANK MUN SON.

Vitnesses:

H. S. SPRAGUE, W. S. WELLs.

